Proper Keyword Research is the foundation of a successful Website.

Where most people fail in Keyword Research is not in finding Keywords for their Niche, Anybody can do that,. It is in optimizing their keyword selection process so that the search engines drive the right traffic to their Website so that they maximize BOTH traffic AND sales!

But keep this in mind about SEO: increased sales happen only IF:

** the keywords selected bring enough traffic;

** the keywords are obtainable in SEO competition (and)

** if the keywords will actually convert –  if they actually result in increased sales and opt-in marketing sales leads.

Otherwise, keyword research is really just wasted time. Actually it is worse then that, it can sabotage your entire Website/blog efforts!!

 

Strategic Keyword Research to the Rescue

 

We can't correctly perform Search Engine Optimization for our Website without first spending time performing keyword research.

Everyone has a different idea of how to do Keyword Research and there are no end to available keyword research tools out there each with there own angle on how to properly conduct keyword research.

Some people  use WordTracker, Keyword Discovery and others use Google's Keyword Research Tool. Click on this link to see an article on the top 5 FREE keyword Research Tools

In my own practice, I started with WordTracker for my sites and for my clients. I dabbled with Google and thought it was the best thing going. Then I spent $40 for a keyword research tool and said MAN! how did I ever do proper keyword research without this!. But soon I realized that it still did not cover all of the bases! I now use keyword Research Pro. It is the best Keyword Research Software System out there. Click on this link to read a review of their latest version of Keyword Research Pro. It will blow you away and like me you will say "MAN! How did I ever get along without this"?

 

Since most people are familiar with Google Adword "Keyword Research tool" I am going to use it as an example for basic Strategic Keyword Research. Now that Google shows an estimated number of average monthly impressions (instead of just the old green bar), the Google tool can really help with your keyword research. If you don't have an AdWords account, you can access the tool independently (just Google: Google Keyword Research Tool).

Grabbing the Best Keywords for your Website Using Google's Keyword Research Tool

 

Step 1 — Put your root keyword into the tool.

I suggest one phrase at a time, 1-4 words in length.

What is a "Root Keyword"? Start with a word or short phrase that someone might use searching for your products or services. Then, click: Get Keyword ideas and wait for the results.

Another option is to click: Website Content and let Google pull suggestions from your Website content.

The idea here is to get a lot of different keyword ideas. You really are brainstorming.

 

Step 2 — IMPORTANT, change the Match Type to Phrase, which adds quotes to the keyword results.

This makes the tool's result most closely match organic search, ignoring the "loosey-goosey" broad match phrases for AdWords. So if you put in a 3 word phrase for your keyword research you will get back close matches to that phrase instead of to the different individual words in the overall keyword phrase.

And under the Show/Hide Columns make sure your settings display Approximate Avg Search Volume. (If you're marketing a seasonal product or service you might change to a different setting.)

 

Step 3 — Analyze the results of your Keyword Research so far.

What we're all trying to find is the low hanging fruit: the best balance of traffic volume, ease of search engine optimization and traffic that will likely convert. Meaning if your site is on Poker. Don't try to grab the word "Poker" as your main keyword phrase, the established, big money competition will keep you out of the top page of Google forever.

I suggest targeting phrases that are at least 5,000 to 10,000 monthly average impressions. Conversely, keyword phrases with very high monthly impressions may prove too competitive in organic search. Find the best balance for your organic optimization skills and for your industry.

If your small business marketing needs to deliver you 200,000 monthly organic impressions and you choose keyword search phrases with between 5,000 and 10,000 monthly impressions, then based on my formula you'll need between 20 to 40 keyword phrases from search engine ranking to deliver you that 200,000 monthly impressions.

Of course, as you discover opportune phrases that are offer greater monthly impressions and that you're comfortable optimizing for, that will lower the number of phrases needed to reach your monthly goal.

Finally I like to grab some keywords that have little or no competition. This builds the "long Tailed Keyword List" For your Website. Meaning that all those smaller keywords can add up and often have less competition then the keywords that have 20,000 searches a month!

Make your keyword list from this criteria. I like to copy and paste into my email program.

Lastly on this point, you'll need good click-through rate data and conversion rate data either from your site or for your industry, to determine the number of monthly impressions you'll need to shoot for.

 

Step 4 in your Strategic Keyword Research — Evaluate the competing number of pages in organic search from Google.

Is this a number you're comfortable optimizing for?While you're on the SERPs looking over the search results, look at the AdWords ads and the organic results.

Does your service or product sound like it belongs on this page, for this keyword? Or, does it sound out of place?And for a search phrase to be good, normally you'll want to see several AdWords ads appearing for the search phrase.Make your list from this criteria, setting aside any keyword phrases from the previous step (at least for right now) where the competition is too steep. Phrases that look good but with too much competition, save for the future.

 

This brings up a good point: Keep good notes! Otherwise, you'll come back for the next round of research and have to re-do things that you shouldn't have to.

 

Step 5 — Evaluate the phrases still on your list for their likely commercial intention using the Microsoft Online Commercial Intention Tool (Google it)

.Now, this is a Microsoft tool…I use it and am glad for the data, but I don't make decisions about any keyword phrase off data from just one tool or from just one step in my process.

Having said that, I wouldn't select 15 phrases for optimization where each of them shows there's not commercial intent.

keep your list of phrases that still meet your criteria and move onto the next step.

 

Step 6 — Evaluate your remaining list in Google's Traffic Estimator.

What I look for is the relationship of average monthly impressions to estimated daily click throughs in AdWords. Do they make sense and suggest commercial intention?

If one Keyword research phrase has twice the monthly impressions as another, but only 1/2 the daily AdWords clicks, something may be wrong. You may want to look closer.

The goal isn't just traffic, it's traffic that converts — buys, signs up to your email list, calls or emails your company and becomes a sales lead, etc.

When you complete these Keyword Research steps, you should have whittled your initial keyword list down to the "lowest hanging fruit", the most opportune phrases (easiest to rank well in) COMBINED with the largest amount of quality traffic, COMBINED with traffic that should convert.

 

The Windows into Your Website

Keywords are the windows into your Website. If you target the wrong ones for your business, you won't have the traffic, sales or sales leads that you need.

If you're using an SEO Company to perform your work, make sure they do it the correct way — not the lazy way — and oversee their work. Your site, your responsibility!

If you're doing d-i-y Keyword Research, be really educated about what you're doing or your d-i-y effort could cost you more than hiring a qualified company.

 

NOTE: Another option available from some SEO companies today for those watching their budget is to function as a Marketing Coach (or in this instance Keyword Research Coach). This is sort of a hybrid between the retail price, full-service option and the go-it-alone, time consuming do-it-yourself option. 

Small business marketing and achieving the search engine ranking for your chosen keywords doesn't have to be difficult or expensive, if you start with solid keyword research. And if performed correctly, the end results will be keywords that work for your business.

Is your company a small business marketing online? Paul Marshall can help you increase the search engine ranking, for your chosen keyword phrases. Receive your Free Introductory Consultation, just visit: http://strategicwebmarketing.net

Based upon an original article (That I heavily modified based upon my opinions and experiences with Keyword Research) by: Paul Marshall

nefits of finding the best free keyword research tools online today are plentiful for you. With so many popping up online you often ask yourself which one is worth using for my basic keyword research needs.

Well in this article I’m going to give you some great links to what I think are the best free keyword research tools on the web to help you with your keyword analysis. They’ll give you some great stats to work with and hopefully do the job you were hoping for.

There’s just one thing I want to mention about these free keyword research tools below and that is they only give you the amount of searches for that given keyword phrase. What they don’t give you is your competition for those given keyword phrases.

But what we’re really trying to do here is find out if there’s a market for your interests and passions before you start building and marketing your website.

So with that said here are the free keyword research tools I think are the best for you to get started with and are very easy to use.

Lets start with the first one.

1) Wordtracker

With this free keyword research tool all you need to do is enter a starting keyword to generate up to 100 related keywords and an estimate of their daily search volume.

Go to: http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com

2) Google Adwords

This keyword research tool I think is by far the best because it allows you to enter keywords for analysis or a website URL(Hint: Great for analysising your competitors sites).

Go to: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

3) SEO Book

SEO Books keyword research tool is powered by Wordtracker’s API, plus it cross references Google and Yahoo search results to give you a detailed view of your keyword analysis.

Go to: http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/

4) NicheBot Classic

With NicheBot Classic which also uses Wordtracker’s API allows you to insert your keyword and will give you the TOP 50 keywords and there daily search count and competing pages in Google, MSN and Yahoo.

Go to: http://www.nichebotclassic.com

5) Good Keywords

Good Keywords is a free Windows software for finding the perfect set of keywords for your web pages. Good Keywords is completely free. No registration, no payments and no nag screens.

Go to: http://www.goodkeywords.com

So there you have it, 5 of the TOP free keyword research tools available to you on the web for free to get you started with your keyword research.

There are of course paid services and software that give you more detailed keyword analysis but if you don’t have the money to spend these are a great starting point for you.

It all starts here with your keyword research because what’s the point of starting a website or paid advertising campaign without this valuable information in your hands.

I hope this list of free keyword research tools helps you and the best of luck with your websites and advertising campaigns.

By: Cory Threlfall

You need to be extremely careful with keyword research so that you don’t miss excellent opportunities or aim so broadly that you target phrases that will never rank well. Here are 10 strategies to guide you along the way:

1. Know your potential customers. We can’t tell you how many businesses we’ve met who simply pick keywords out of thin air. They don’t talk to customers or hot prospects in order to determine what might be a useful set of keywords.

2. Start with core words. A core set of keywords – even if too broad – can stimulate creative thinking.

3. Look at the industry. Examine industry trade group web sites and related newsletters to find potential keywords.

4. Study competitors. Some companies make a bigger deal of competitors’ keywords than they should, but it’s still a useful strategy. Invariably, a competitor will be using a strong keyword or phrase you don’t want to miss. Often, however, they load their web sites with single keywords that aren’t appropriate. If Internet users are seeking cookware, their search terms shouldn’t be laundry-based words. Yet we came across that very example. Be careful which words you use.

5. Be specific – add other words to your primary phrases. If you sell metal, try metal stamping or metal stampers. Or, how about metal stamping companies? Words like services, companies, products, accessories, and many others can really pay off. Ok, everyone wants to rank #1 for terms like “toys” and “sports.” It would take more time and budget than you may have to land such terms (through META updates, content adjustments and links).

6. Visit Wordtracker. It’s a great tool even if it only collects a sampling of actual searches (more than 300 million). You’ll get a good sense of how frequently someone may search. Here is their URL: http://www.wordtracker.com

7. Use your intuition. Don’t hesitate to try some ideas; Wordtracker and other sources can confirm whether you have a search term people might or might not use.

8. Limit your selection. Come up with a list of words – 10, 20, 30, maybe 50 or more. But don’t get so many that you can’t manage them all.

9. Tie keywords to site planning. Pick keywords you can work with over time. Make sure you don’t plan to drop a page from the web site or change it so often that your target keywords may be knocked off or irrelevant every 30 days.

10. Study your log files. Web analytics is a great tool if you want to see how your visitors are searching. Study the results and you will come up with a revised set of keywords



By: Michael Murray, Vp Of Fathom Seo

tarxi asked:


This is virtually impossible but I need to do a lot of keyword research but I’m just very poor…

If you have some experience in using Google Adwords, you know that the KEY to Adwords success is finding and using the right keywords. But question is how do you find the right keywords? The answer is with Adwords Keyword Research Tool.

One very popular Adwords Keyword Research Tool I came across is Keyword Elite, but at first I wasn’t impressed with this tool because I had been using Wordtracker as my keyword research tool. The main reason I use keyword research tool is to find long-tail keywords, it saves me a lot of time compared to if I do it manually.

Both Wordtracker and Keyword Elite are very useful in generating long-tail keywords. But what made me interested to take a closer look at Keyword Elite is its ability to spy on the keywords used by your Adwords competitors. This feature is very interesting but there is much more.

In fact, Keyword Elite consists of 5 components or “project types” as they call them. Each project has its own function. The 5 Projects are:

1. Create a keyword list.

2. Analyze pay per click listings.

3. Select a keyword list.

4. Analyze keyword competition.

5. Spy on AdWords Competition.

Project 1 is creating a keyword list. There are many adwords keyword research tools available in the market that can help you develop a keyword list. What Keyword Elite does is combining all the results from these tools (such as Overture, Google suggestion tool, Yahoo!, Ask and Meta Tags) and put them into one alphabetized spreadsheet. And if you have subscriptions for Wordtracker and KeywordDiscovery, you can add and combine the results as well.

You can do all these manually but it will take up a lot of your time as you need to use each tool individually. With Keyword Elite, you just enter your seed keyword, select the search engines you want to get results from and hit the OK button. You can select how many results to return anywhere from 100 to 10,000 keywords. It’s a real time saver as you can develop hundreds or even thousands of keywords in just few minutes. After playing around with project 1 for a while, I began to realize why it’s the top adwords keyword research tool.

Project 2 will show you some interesting data. It lets you see ads and keywords that are currently being used by your competitors. You can see the actual URLs, what ads are being run, the rankings, bid amount, and other important statistics. You use this information to spy and learn from your competitors. Pick out the top 10 competitors, study their rankings, write better ads and out-bid them. You can do all these manually but it probably takes several days. With Keyword Elite, all this information is available in just few minutes. Again, it’s a real time saver.

Project 3 gives you the ability to generate your keyword list from from existing Keyword Elite’s database. If your niche subject already has a keyword list developed, you will have your list generated in a flash, just enter the key term and half of your keyword research is done. It’s as simple as that.

Project 4 gives you another way to spy on the competition. Here you put in the keyword you want to analyze and request Keyword Elite to show all the sites that are advertising for the keyword. You can request up to 100 sites but normally I just request for the top 10 sites. It will provide information such as PageRank, number of words, keyword density, etc. You can use the information to analyze why these sites are at the top, what are the things they’ve done right to achieve top spot and optimize your own website to achieve the same result. So far I haven’t seen any adwords keyword research tool that can provide such in-depth information.

Project 5 will help any Adwords advertisers to become successful. As mentioned the key to Google Adwords success is to bid on the profitable keywords. BUT problem is… how do you know what keywords are profitable? Here you can request Keyword Elite to run a report that shows you the number of days a particular keyword has been bid on. The longer that keyword is being bid on means it’s more profitable. You can run the report for days, weeks or whenever you want to see if that keyword is still being bid on.

Conclusion:

Without a doubt Keyword Elite is the top Keyword Research Tool for Adwords advertisers. It’s a very powerful software tool that goes beyond keyword research and identifying of long-tail keywords, it also allows users to spy on their competitors and perform in-depth competitive analysis. Most of the tasks described can be done manually BUT doing so will take up a lot of your time. With KE you will save a lot of time in research and analysis, it gives you more time to focus on other more important business activities. If you are serious about making money using Google Adwords, I highly recommend you to invest on this keyword research tool.

Check out more information on Keyword Elite – the top Adwords Keyword Research Tool – here .



By: Leon